


First, The

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Political, Screenplay/Script Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-07-06
Updated: 2000-07-06
Packaged: 2019-05-15 07:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14786423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: The President and CJ have a discussion on the First Amendment.





	First, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. They belong to Aaron Sorkin. I don't get anything from this `cept a soapbox to stand on.

Author's note: A recent report from the Freedom Forum recently came out. As a journalist, I was horrified at Americans' apathy toward the 1st Amendment. So I wrote this. This is my first WW fanfic on this list (great list, BTW!) It's a bit idealistic. You've been warned.

THE FIRST 

By bluejeans

The White House, Monday, July 10. 7:30 p.m. We join the White House senior staff in the middle of a meeting in the Oval Office.

Leo: OK, so that's the plan for tomorrow. Questions?

<The staff ad libs "no" answers.>

President: How'd we do today? Any major problems I need to know about? Leo?

Leo: Other than having a Republican controlled Congress, no.

President: That's our problem every day. Josh?

Josh: I've just been rounding up votes on 440. It looks like we could be short. But there's still two weeks until the vote, so I'll let you know if there's actually a problem in a week.

President: Right. Toby?

Toby: Are we still going to say "and together we can step into a bold new world" at the whiny college student speech?

President: Yes.

Toby. Must we?

President: Yes. We're saying the line *and* doing the whiny college student speech. By the way, why do you call it that?

Toby: Because you're giving it to whiny college students. OK, the line stays. If I wrote it out you'd probably willfully ad lib me anyway, that that's a habit I want you to avoid. On another note, a person who shall remain nameless is still having trouble with his verbs.

President: I'm not having this conversation. Sam?

Sam: An unnamed person has been threatening to flog me with bits of grammar.

President: Now I'm *really* not having this conversation. CJ?

CJ: Uh... well sir... no, it's nothing.

President: You sure?

CJ: Yeah.

President: Suit yourself. Good job today, everyone. Get out of here. I know you can't stand to be away from me, but try to get home before midnight. Good night.

<The staff ad libs "good nights" and all leave except CJ.>

President: Is there something I can do for you, CJ?

CJ: Sir, it's just that... well... Mr. President, have you seen this report?

President: CJ, just now I have 10 or 12 reports on my desk. Could you be a little more specific?

CJ: I'm sorry sir. The report on the 1st Amendment from America's Council on Freedom.

President: Ah... I saw that it was out. I haven't had a chance to read it in much detail.

CJ: Sir, it's a bit disturbing. Mr. President, 11% of the American population disagrees with the statement `Newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of a story.' That's not a big number, but it's big enough. The report concludes that Americans think that the 1st Amendment should be protected, *except* when it protects the airing of views people find offensive.

President: And what's wrong with that?

CJ: Sir!

President: I'm just kidding, CJ. But consider this: Americans can see the power of speech. They look at the Internet and find specific directions for building a bomb. They turn on the radio and hear lyrics that make their ears burn. They walk down the street and someone hands them a pamphlet that disparages a particular group. They see investigative reports in newscasts that could destroy someone's life. Their kids can turn on cable and watch programs that are a hair away from being obscene. And these decent, hard working Americans see all of this and say `people shouldn't be able to say such things. The government should do something about all this smut.'

CJ: I can see your point, sir. I don't like all any more than any other decent, hardworking American. It just... I can hear Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Thomas Paine and the original Josiah Bartlett turning in their graves. I don't think Americans realize what they are so casually giving away.

President: No, they don't.

CJ: I mean, who decides what is offensive? It's a slippery slope. First we say that vulgar lyrics are illegal. Fine, great, we've rid society of a menace. But then someone decides newspapers can't expose corrupt public official because it will hurt someone's feelings. Then I can't post my mother's secret recipe for roast on the Internet because it will offend vegetarians. Then we can't publish copies of the Constitution because it will offend anti-government activists. Where does it end?

President: It's a fine line, isn't it? The government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from damage. It also must protect the rights of its citizens. What do we do when these two responsibilities clash?

CJ: `Congress shall make *no* law abridging the freedom of speech,' sir.

President: Perhaps that is the easiest way. We allow absolutely open dialogue on everything at the risk of allowing terrible things to happen. Perhaps that is the burden a democratic society must bear. We must allow the bad so we don't accidentally forbid the good. They don't have problems like this in dictatorships. But CJ, I don't think the framers of the Constitution could ever have dreamed of all the ways we've thought of to abuse 1st Amendment rights.

CJ: We're back to your question. What do we do?

President: We make do with what we have. We listen to the 89% of people who didn't think government should pre-approve newspaper stories. We tell people to protect themselves as best they can. And someday, if it is required, the framers of the Constitution allowed us a way to change things. Perhaps a new amendment will read "Congress has the right to abridge speech when things get really bad."

CJ: Sir, that scares me.

President: I know. It scares me too. I guess we'll just have to trust The People. The freedom of speech is a gift for everyone that crumbles all barriers and bridges all gaps. If everyone used this freedom, I think it would create a roar of greatness and majesty that would fill our ears and hearts with hope. Then the words of those who would abuse the gift would be as insignificant as a grain of sand on a beach. CJ, It isn't called the 1st Amendment for nothing. Americans will guard it. They must.

CJ: I hope you're right sir.

President: I do too.

CJ: Anyway, I have to release this report to a room full of journalists tomorrow, so I need to go over it again. We might want to have medics nearby, because this could kill the whole press corp.

President: Well if it was that easy, we should have released it a year ago. Life would be more enjoyable with a dead press corp. Maybe then they wouldn't ask so many questions.

CJ: Sir...

President: Goodnight, CJ

THE END.

  


End file.
